Our Fitness Blog

Can You Beat Cellulite?

True story: when my daughter was 4, I saw a picture of myself (taken from behind) while I was walking on the beach. I was shocked and unaware of what was going on back there!!!

Can you say Cellulite City!?

It was so bad, that all I could do was laugh (maybe it was a cry, I have tried to wipe this from my memory)... And so began my journey back into the fitness lifestyle I had abandoned years before.

Now, I’m here to talk honestly about cellulite. I see a LOT of articles that swear that cellulite is NOT something you can get rid of. I am here to debunk that. I’ll tell you right now, that’s complete BS! I’m living proof of that. Maybe less was more, but at the time I saw this horrifying picture of myself I had never heard that cellulite was permanent. And so, I started working out routinely and in just a month my cellulite had diminished considerably, and several months later it was gone. Maybe what I didn’t know didn’t hurt me?

I preach that you CAN work off cellulite. After all, it’s just fatty deposits. We all know that when you eat right and exercise, you lose fat, so why wouldn’t cellulite be the same? It’s the same in my book. I truly believe that what you THINK you CREATE, so if you strongly believe cellulite is here to stay no matter how fit you get, then, so be it. Hang it up. Nail the coffin shut. (Zero on the Fun-O-Meter)

Or you can choose to live in my reality…that you CAN get rid of it.

So, what exercises should you do to send these little fat deposits packing?

An intense routine of resistance combined with cardio is key. Cardio, cardio and more cardio is NOT THE SOLUTION. Remember, cardio ALONE may make you a bit smaller, but you’ll still be the same SHAPE. Like a balloon that has slightly deflated….

If you want to change your SHAPE and KILL FAT CELLS you must add in resistance as well, and the most fun way to do this is to combine the cardio and resistance simultaneously. It’s faster too!

You absolutely need to be tracking all food eaten and eat 5-6x a day to stoke your metabolism. (Hello… 9Round Nutrition!)

That being said:

My suggested schedule: If you’ve been sedentary, I’d say 3x a week is great. If you’ve been semi active and are now ready to blast the remaining 5 pounds then I’d say 5-6 times a week. Whatever you’ve been doing, let’s aggressively go forward with a new plan.

Resistance plan: Listen, tiny little light weights aren’t going to cut it here. (The ones shown in most magazines are 3 to 5 pound weights.) They are a total waste of time unless you have been sedentary so far.

Whenever you perform any exercise, push yourself to the limit (safely). For instance, if the exercise is lunges, then pick up the heaviest weight that you can safely and properly perform with. The correct weight should make it difficult to finish the reps with, but still able to finish. If you can fly through the exercise, it’s too easy and is just cardio. Adding medicine balls to squats, dumb bells to lunges is perfect.

Body weight is perfect if you’ve been sedentary. (Meaning: use no weights at all while you focus on perfect form and create excellent ‘muscle memory’ doing the exercises correctly, only adding weights in once you become stronger.) Please don’t feel like a ‘wimp’ if this is your level right now! This is to avoid injury. Injury slows down your progress. If you’re hurt, you can’t work out! Start where you are and work up to where you want to be. Period.

But, if you’ve been working out for months, it’s time to take off the training wheels please ma’am!

You should be performing all push-ups on your toes, (chin up!) As far as weight size, I suggest 10-20 lbs in each hand when doing squats and lunges. 15-20 lbs in each hand when doing any kind of back or lateral row. 10-15 lbs when doing any kind of bicep exercise. Remember, we don’t want to get hurt, but we want to challenge ourselves. If you’re doing burpees, squat hops or any abdominal crunches, add in a medicine ball. BUT, don’t sacrifice form for weight! Example: If you can’t keep the weight all in your heels while you lunge with dumb bells, then you’re on the wrong track. Lower the weight, or go back to no weights until you perfect that form.

Go a little harder than you think you can and do it often! You won’t die  Promise. Breathe deeply, drink tons of water, and carry on.

A note on muscle soreness: It is a myth that if you are not sore after every work out, you didn’t work hard enough! When you perform a new exercise, or go up in weight, you are usually sore initially, but the body is miraculously quick to adapt. This means that you can push yourself again the next week with that same exercise and not be sore, while still properly challenging your body. Don’t let a lack of soreness be a discouragement. If you push yourself each time to your max, (and get enough rest in between) you’ll still see great results!

P.S.-Be sure and have a private little moment with your cellulite and tell it goodbye. I hope it doesn’t miss you.

Heather Hudson has been with 9Round since inception in 2008 and is COO and Co-Founder of 9Round Franchising. She is a black belt in Shotokan Karate and grew up with a passion for fitness and overall wellness.